The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-22
,EsInENT's COUNTRY HOUSE

PRESIDENTS COUNTRY HOUSE.
1t was thus felt when, accompa-
MED by an oil time friend, | stepped
into an open carriage and requested
the driver to take us out to the Pres
ident's country seat, to which the
name OF Oak View has been given.
The first surprise in store for those
who drive this way lies in the sud
den change from the perfect neat
ness and smoothness of Washington
streets to the comparative wildness
of the road to Oak View. The CAPT
tai city is built in deep basin, and
as soon as the rim of the basin is
reached, 10 and behold there is no
longer any trace of beauteous
Washington. The next delight is in
the change of air, as we speed away
from the great law making center;
away, away to the mountains brow
on which is perched Oak View.
Very glorious is the scene through
which we pass. Here a cluster of
sturdy oak, and there clump OF
pine. AT one point narrow river,
or perhaps | should say wide brook,
rushes through a very world of YER
dure, its crystalline waters dancing
past its towering banks as if they
were aware of their own bewitching
beauty and gloried in it, even like
unto human belle. All the while,
although the ascent is very gradual,
we feel that we are getting up in the
world. We know it by the sweet,
pure air, untainted by the breath of
the toiling masses in city's streets;
we see it in the more brilliant skies
glowing with light ethereal and ra-
diant with the myriad hues which
never were on painters palette.
Suddenly we turn into a winsome lit
tie road which quaint signhoard in
forms us is called Woody Lane.
Woody Lanel There is a romance
of loves young dream about the
name, and still more so about the
locality. There ring in my ears the
refrain of halt forgotten song,
Oh, meet me IN the lane, love,
When tho clock stakes teal
This Woody lane must be the very
lane that was Intended, so peaceful,
so rural is it, so unobtrusive, so
modest a little lane.
Nevertheless, it is one of the most
celebrated lanes in all the world, for
in it resides the President of the
United States and his opulent and
respected Secretary of the Navy,
Mr.. w. q. Whitney. The two houses
almost face each other, and are as
different as possible in every point
of their architecture.
Secretary Whitney's house is a
square, substantial old Virginia resi-
deuce, while the Presidents cottage
is a light, fairylike structure, with
more porch and pillars than house
about 1t, and the whole structure
is covered with Moorish dome
painted deep crimson, in conse-
duence of which it has been some
what irreverently called Red Top"
But why linger on such common
place topics as the houses? The view,
the views the thing. Suck glorious,
such an unparalleled view never
saw such a peculiarly billy view; and
that, mark you, is saying a good deal,
because | have seen the Alps, the
Sierra Nevadas, the Rockies, tho AL
leghanies aud the Pyrenecs. When
say that the hills, on one of which
the Presidents cottage is situated,
are quite peculiar, mean that they
are the neatest little mounds ever
probably formed by that great
geometrical engineer, Dame Nature.
Take q lot of sauoers from your cof-
fee cups, turn them billy side up, and
on che central saucer place the salt
cellar, and there you have Oak View
surrounded by its seven or more
mounds. The ground is worth moth
ing for agricultural purposes; it
would tire a pillow to death to work
over the sides of those coffee cup
saucers; but it has its reasons for be-
ing in its green grassy beauty. The
President paid nigh a thousand dol
lars an acre for this unproductive
land; its good looks were its fortune,
as was the case with the pretty maid
with the milking pail.